Scrumptious Salads and Fear of Food

I keep thinking that if I was reasonably serious about this, I could actually lose some serious weight. But, on the other hand, by not really trying to lose a lot of weight – and definitely not dieting – the pounds are actually dropping a bit. I really do know how easy it is to gain weight. I could very easily walk into a 12-step program and say “Hello, my name is Tim. I’m a foodaholic.”

I love food. I love to eat. I love all types of food, all areas, regions, nationalities, and cuisines. The absolute perfect vacation for me would be to spend 2 weeks in a place – a villa in Sicily, a flat in Paris, or something in the south of France… Someplace with a reasonably-equipped kitchen, a view, and a marketplace within walking distance. I could cook and eat for two weeks and never feel the need to “go out and do something”. Hello, my name is Tim. I’m a foodaholic.

And because I love food so much, I just don’t understand how so many people can be afraid of it. And so ignorant of it. All day long I overhear conversations from people who “won’t eat this because it has carbs in it” or zero in on the 6 grams of fat per serving and completely disregard the 20 grams of protein and other nutrients.

Or won’t buy potato chips (1oz = 150 kcal, 10gr fat – 1gr sat, 180mg sodium, 15gr carbs, and 2 gr protein) but pick up bags and bags of “Veggie Chips” (1oz = 150 kcal, 9 gr fat – 2gr sat, 100mg sodium, 16gr carbs, and 1gr protein). I don’t buy a lot of potato chips because I know that while they are really crunchy/salty/good, they’re also high in calories. I can polish off a bag pretty easy. I don’t buy them often. But I also don’t try and fool myself that I can have my junk craving by buying “veggie chips”.

Why would I want to eat something like that? What on earth is Sorbitan Ester of Fatty Acids? Oh. Here we go… Sorbitan esters of fatty acid is called sorbitan ester, which is produced by esterification of sorbitol and fatty acid. It is a mixture of sorbitol ester and sorbide ester, which are simultaneously produced as well as sorbitan ester.

In my phony butter spread stuff. Because Sorbitan Ester of Fatty Acids is better for my body that sweet cream?!?

I don’t think so.

I’m not trying to fool myself here, either. I know what butter is and what it does. Too much of it – or of just about anything for that matter – is not going to be a good thing. It’s just a matter of knowing what it is you’re eating and knowing that too much of even a good thing is not always a good thing. But real, fresh ingredients will always be better than something that came out of a chemistry class. Our bodies were designed to eat and process food – not stuff that has been engineered and re-engineered to look like food. Do you find it a mere coincidence that as a nation, we have gotten fatter and fatter with the introduction of more and more “light”, “lite”, and “diet” foods?!?

I don’t.

I did put some butter on our homemade whole wheat garlic, fresh herb, and cheese bread tonight. Not a lot. It didn’t need a lot.

The bread dough was the no-knead to which I added some chopped fresh herbs and garlic, along with a tiny bit of grated cheese I had left over in the ‘fridge.

The salads were mixed greens, heirloom cherry tomatoes, zucchini, diced plums, and a bit of cauliflower with a balsamic vinaigrette Victor whipped up. Topped with half of a thick-sliced grilled boneless pork chop.